


The Seminar Situation

by hexicity



Series: Work Environment [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Malec, Secrets, Stress, Workplace AU, evil exes, jimon, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 18:16:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11362947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hexicity/pseuds/hexicity
Summary: Jace has to impress Aldertree or he'll be fired, Magnus' evil ex is visiting the office, and no one can know about Magnus and Alec's bar kiss. It's a stressful Thursday afternoon.





	The Seminar Situation

Alec’s morning routine is the same as always. 

He wakes up and puts on the same attire as usual, he eats his inexpensive breakfast sandwich as usual, and he makes small talk with the receptionist on the first floor as usual. But never before has he walked through the door to the office with the constant reminder in his brain that he kissed his boss the night before. 

“Morning.” Clary greets him from where she’s crouched right by the printer, fiddling with its many buttons and wires. “You look exhausted.” 

Alec is exhausted, but he can’t find it in him to really care. The entire night before he’d been up, laying in bed and looking up at the ceiling and thinking about Magnus and his lips and the way his hands had felt against Alec’s face and--

“Alec.” Clary pokes his ankle. “You alright?” 

“Oh, yeah. Just couldn’t really sleep last night, but it’s no big deal.” He gives her a winning smile, which leaves her looking slightly puzzled. She turns her attention back to the printer and Alec kneels to join her, trying to surmise on his own what she’s doing. He gives up pretty quickly. “What’s wrong with the printer?”

“It’s printing everything upside-down.” She says matter-of-factly, and Alec assumes this is normal because she doesn’t sound too bewildered by it. “So uh, try not to print anything for a while.”

“I bet it misses Simon.” Alec suggests. “The only person who ever retrieved from it.” 

“He’s only been gone since like, three hours before closing yesterday. And by the way, where did you and Magnus go? I noticed that you two left, too.” 

Now Alec is faced with a choice. Technically, work relationships are allowed, but he’s not sure if that applies to the boss. Couldn’t they be accused of favoritism? And besides, Alec realizes glumly, it was just a kiss. Magnus may not even be considering a relationship. 

Clary is a good friend, and Alec hopes she can trust him with secrets, but this time he has to resist from confiding. 

“Uh, we didn’t leave together. I had to send a report and Magnus took Simon home. You know how he is, total overbearing mother and all that.” 

Clary looks even more confused. “But I thought Simon went alone--”

“Nope.” Alec makes a show of checking his watch and abruptly stands. “Better clock in. Keep me updated on the printer, though.” 

He speeds away, a bubble of regret and panic inflating in his chest. Why did he have to lie? He could’ve been honest and told Clary about the bar without mentioning the kiss, after all, and it would’ve been fine. 

But Clary and Simon are close, and she’s bound to talk to him soon. And if she mentions Magnus, and if Simon points out Alec’s fabrication, Clary will piece things together and Alec will be totally screwed. 

He heads to Magnus’ office. 

“Good morning!” Magnus chirps over the sound of a ringing phone the moment Alec crosses the threshold. “Can you do me a quick favor? Pick up the phone on Simon’s desk.” 

Alec obeys, lifting the phone off its cradle. 

“Now go ahead and set that back down.” Magnus smiles in satisfaction when the ringing ceases and the caller fails to redial. “Thank you. I miss my assistant.”

“So does the printer.” Alec remarks, and Magnus clearly doesn’t process what this means, but Alec has more important things to discuss. “Speaking of, I just lied to Clary and told her that you took Simon home last night and I--I don’t even remember what I told her I did. Oh God.” 

Magnus blinks. “Well, that’s--good. I mean, you could’ve come up with a better cover, but I’m glad you’re not publicizing that we made out.” 

Made out, Alec notes, is a pretty strong term to use. Maybe it’s not hopeless. 

“I figured that we shouldn’t just tell everyone.” Alec agrees, quieter and calmer now. He sinks into a chair opposite Magnus’ desk. “Or at least, I wanted to see what you thought first.” 

Magnus smiles, a soft and gentle smile that makes the remaining bits of anxiety dissolve completely. “Thank you.”

Originally, Alec was planning on giving a speech about how it was only a kiss and there was no reason to even worry, but his mind deletes the entire idea completely. He isn’t about to throw away a chance to date someone he’s liked for ages by dismissing their first ever moment. 

“So what do we do?” He asks timidly.

“I think we should keep it under wraps for now.” Magnus suggests. “I’d rather not have Raj speculating on my relationship, and you probably feel the same. I like you, Alec. I don’t want everyone else ruining that.” 

He tries not to light up, probably fails, and offers a soft, “I like you too.” 

“Good.” Magnus grins, and Alec really wishes there wasn’t a desk between them. “So we’ll just act normal as always, okay? And to start, we have a meeting. Gather your cavalry.” 

Alec finds Lydia, who looks much healthier, and Jace, who has a strangely peaceful expression smoothing out his features, and leads them to the conference room. Magnus has Simon’s binder, and he’s scanning through the pages a bit helplessly. 

“Where is Simon?” Lydia asks. She sounds uneasy. Alec doesn’t know her particularly well, but he’s willing to bet that her greatest fear is an unproductive day at work. 

“Out of commission, my dear.” Magnus informs her, squinting at the form in his hands. “Does anyone know what this means?” 

“Is he not coming in at all today?” Lydia presses. Jace pipes up from beside Alec. 

“He’s staying home today.” He informs them casually. “And maybe he’ll channel his impulse to work into something productive, like cooking or experiencing great American television.”

“Uh,” Magnus pauses his examination of the papers, “not that I’m not proud of my little workaholic for finally realizing the merits of sleeping, but how did you know that? He hasn’t even called in sick yet.”

“He called me last night.” Jace replies nonchalantly, looking up from his phone with a neutral expression. “He asked for my Hulu password so he could watch The Walking Dead.”

Magnus accepts this with a fond smile. “Nerd.” 

It’s not that Alec doesn’t trust Jace. It’s just that he’s pretty sure Simon already has a Hulu account. And if he doesn’t, why would he have called Jace? Why not Clary or Maia or one of his close friends? 

Jace looks completely casual, though. He’s leaning back in his seat, his thumbs moving over his phone under the table where he thinks Magnus can’t see. It doesn’t seem like he’s hiding anything. 

And Alec should know when someone’s hiding something. He’s a prime example. 

“So,” Magnus looks at Lydia with a pleasant smile, “while you were gone, Alec rearranged the entire system for branch-to-branch communications. Instead of transferring someone, we’re now having a--seminar?”

“Right.” Alec confirms. 

“A seminar. To teach everyone else how to not suck at sales and customer relations.”

“Why should we take time out of our own selling hours to teach the other branches?” Lydia complains, and Alec peeks under the desk to see if she’s wearing heels. Sometimes when she’s angry, she’ll step on their toes with her spiky heels and then give an apology that only leaves the victim feeling guilty for their own incompetence. Luckily, she’s in flats today. 

“Because Aldertree is starting to realize that if the branches he’s in charge of don’t start increasing in sales, he’ll be demoted back to a lowly manager.” Magnus replies smoothly, as if this thought runs through his head every hour. He’s scanning another list of something, his face focused and serious and beautiful and angelic, and Alec forces himself to look down at the table. “Jace, I’m thinking you should take this.”

“Me?” Jace sits up a little straighter in his seat. “Really?”

Magnus shrugs. “You’re easily the most charismatic out of this little bunch.”

“I could do it.” Lydia insists, giving Jace a sidelong glance. “I mean, we could split it. Jace could do introductions and I could give data, instruction, and reports.”

“So I get to say hello and then you do the rest?” Jace mutters, not even looking at Lydia. Alec is surprised at Jace’s sudden irritation. He didn’t really think Jace cared much about how much of a project he was assigned. 

“Garroway actually asked for only one person from each department to handle this, so the rest can work.” Magnus explains. “And I know you can do this Jace, okay? I’ll call to let them know right now.”

It takes a second, because Simon’s the one that memorized the extensions. After a few moments of dialing, Magnus announces to Aldertree that Jace will be leading the seminar. 

“Bane, the main goal of this is to spread your branch’s knowledge to the other locations. I hardly think choosing an HR rep who’s failed to accomplish anything noteworthy should be the one in charge of relaying vital information.” 

Aldertree’s words seem to physically pain Jace. He shuts his eyes for a moment and shakes his head at Magnus just slightly, trying to convey that he’d rather not do it than be belittled during the entire process. 

Magnus, however, looks personally offended. “I’ve worked with my branch for five years, sir, and I know which of my employees can handle certain assignments. Jace can do this.”

“You’ve worked five years, and Wayland has worked for two.” Aldertree points out. “Listen, we already have to do this convoluted seminar because of one of your employees--”

“Nice.” Alec whispers, and Magnus smirks at him over the table. 

“--and we might as well do it correctly. Assign Lightwood to it, it was his idea.”

Alec doesn’t want this. Under any other circumstance he’d take the job without hesitation, but Jace needs to have it. He knows that Jace feels inadequate compared to Alec at work, or at least that’s what Jace drunkenly told Isabelle during a family gathering. Alec doesn’t want Jace to feel like he’s stealing his opportunities. 

He gently presses his foot against Magnus’ beneath the table to get his attention. He shakes his head as subtly as he can. 

“Sir,” Magnus says firmly, “I know that Jace is more than capable of handling this assignment. He has the charisma and leadership skills to work with both groups, he works well with other departments, and quite simply he knows what he’s doing. Not using him would be a waste, frankly.”

“Well then.” Aldertree sounds done with the conversation. “If you’re sure, we’ll do that.”

Magnus’ eyebrows raise and he looks up at Jace, who isn’t smiling yet. “Alright--”

“But,” Aldertree continues, “if Wayland can’t perform to my liking, he’ll be terminated.”

“Absolutely not.” Magnus says immediately, so quick that Alec doesn’t have time to gauge his reaction. “I will not allow my employee to be fired over something this small.”

“Magnus.” Jace says quietly, reaching over to cover the receiver with his index finger. “I can do this.”

“No, Jace, he’s just going to hold you to impossibly high standards.” Alec argues, and even Lydia nods in objective agreement. 

“Well, it’s not exactly like I can refuse!” Jace huffs. “It’ll seem like I don’t know what I’m doing. I might as well try, okay? Please, Magnus. If you really believe in me you’ll let me do this.”

Magnus’ amber eyes close momentarily and his hand hovers over the phone. Being a boss is all about making tough decisions, but Alec wishes Magnus didn’t have to. He wishes Magnus didn’t have to live with the weight of his employee’s well being on his shoulders constantly.

“Okay.” He finally agrees when the receiver is free. “Deal.”

“Perfect.” Aldertree sounds like he’s already won. “See you soon.”

There’s a silence after the call is dropped. Alec and Lydia are looking at Magnus, who is looking at Jace, who is looking at the table with practical waves of misery crashing against him and spraying over the rest of them. 

“Listen,” Magnus says quietly, “Aldertree is an asshole. Okay? You’re good at what you do, Jace, he’s just an ass. He could’ve said that about anyone.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t.” Jace replies quickly, his voice gravelly and low. He flexes his hands beneath the table, and Alec sees his fingers tighten around his phone. He’s resisting the urge to snap, and Alec knows that Jace needs someone to calm him down. Preferably someone who didn’t just witness him be humiliated. 

Magnus doesn’t pick up on this, so he continues. 

“I know you’re capable of this.” He tells Jace, speaking slowly and carefully. “But it’s a tough job for anyone. So we’ll help you, alright? We’ll coach you until you’re a pro with numbers and data and techniques.”

Jace glances wearily over at Lydia, as if expecting her to argue. She looks up from her laptop as if she’s able to feel their eyes on her. After a second of staring back, she simply rolls her eyes. 

“I hate Aldertree, too.” She says. “And if you get fired, it’s more work for me and Alec, so.”

A small smile finally graces Jace’s lips. “Okay. Thank you, guys. We can start soon, just uh, give me a few minutes.”

He exits quickly, heading off in the direction of the break room. Magnus is smiling widely at Lydia, literally beaming at her like a mother who’s just witnessed their child demonstrate the concept of sharing for the first time. 

“What?” Lydia dismisses his ecstatic expression with a wave of her hand. “I don’t want him to get fired. He _just_ started labelling his reports correctly.”

//

Jace feels kind of dizzy. 

He leans against the counter in the break room and wonders if he’s caught Simon’s flu. But no, he’s not feverish or aching in any way. He just feels...trapped. 

This is the first job he’s ever loved. The first place he’s felt natural, where he hasn’t had to sit in the bathroom and take deep breaths after every social interaction. He has friends and he sits directly across from his brother and he has...Simon. 

He needs to call Simon. 

“Did you call to ask how to work the fax machine?” Simon greets. “Because Google exists, you know.”

Jace feels instant relief, like he’s just shot heroin or something. What is it about Simon’s sleepy and congested voice that somehow makes everything seem less like it’s seconds away from falling apart? 

“Hey.” Jace manages to say, and his voice sounds desperately shaky. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m fine, um, what’s wrong?” Simon sounds genuinely worried. 

“Magnus told Aldertree that I’m going to take the lead on the seminar thing. And then Aldertree talked about how incapable I am, how I’m just going to mess it up. He said Alec should do it, and Magnus insisted that I do it, and then Aldertree said that if I don’t perform the way he wants me to, he’ll fire me.”

He says it all in one breath, and then he feels light-headed.

“Jace,” Simon says soothingly, “sit down. Okay? If you’re in the break room, get some water.”

Jace does this. He sips from the paper cup a little bit at a time, the smell of the waxy container almost numbing his panic. He can hear some shuffling over the phone, maybe the sounds of Simon sitting up in bed. Jace wishes he wouldn’t. He doesn’t want Simon to worry when he’s already sick. 

“You okay?” Simon asks calmly after a minute of quiet. 

“Yeah.” Jace’s voice is still shaky, but significantly less so. “I just, I don’t know if I can do this. Like Alec said, Aldertree is just going to disregard how well I might do. He’ll fire me anyways.”

“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to make it impossible for him to disregard your talent.” Simon says simply, like it’s that easy. “Make sure you know your shit, you know? And just do everything that you can. I know you can do this, Jace, you’re--”

Simon’s speech is abruptly cut off and a noise that sounds a lot like a sneezing fit comes through. Jace smiles to himself and waits patiently. 

“What, uh, what was I saying?” Simon sounds notably more stuffed up than before. 

“Just some sappy stuff about how I’m amazing and talented and good at everything.” Jace tells him, smiling even wider when he hears Simon’s dismissive huff. “Seriously, how do you feel?”

“Better.” Simon promises. “I think I can come back tomorrow. Look, I fell asleep before I could thank you but, uh, yeah. Thanks.”

“For the soup?” Jace asks. “Or for letting you sleep on me and get my shirt all germy?”

“For the pep talk, actually.” Simon says softly. “About my potential and all that dumb stuff. Do me a favor and take your own advice, okay? Don’t worry too much about work, just focus on being yourself. You’re very charming.”

Jace feels his face getting warmer. “No problem. Get some sleep. No working, remember?”

“I know.” Simon sighs forlornly. “Oh, also, can you officially tell Magnus I’m calling in sick? It has to be documented and I was hung up on earlier. I think he’s just ignoring every call.”

“Got it.” Jace nods and looks through the windows to the office, where life is still going on as usual. No one saw him have his panic attack, despite his lack of caution. Usually he makes sure to go to the last stall in the bathroom and wash his face with hot water afterwards. 

Never has he let anyone talk him down, besides Alec and Isabelle. But Simon didn’t even hesitate. Didn’t even tease him. 

“See you later.” Simon says after a yawn. “Don’t stress.”

“Yeah.” Jace nods. “See you.”

//

Alec is on his Hulu account. 

He’s being stupid, he knows that. Who cares if The Walking Dead is on Hulu? It’s no big deal, he tells himself as he presses the search button. It doesn’t matter. 

No search results found. 

Okay, he thinks, maybe Jace misspoke. He could’ve meant Netflix. But Simon definitely has a Netflix account. Maybe he got locked out, or forgot the password. Alec should just ask Jace, right? But won’t that seem strange to Jace, the fact that Alec has latched on to what should have been an offhanded, unimportant comment? 

“Why do you look like you’re about to combust?” Magnus asks curiously, eyeing Alec from his desk. They’re currently waiting for Jace to return from his break so they can start coaching. Lydia is typing away furiously at her laptop, not paying attention to either of them. 

Alec considers the possibility that The Walking Dead not being on Hulu could really mean something. And in that case, he doesn’t want to expose Simon and Jace’s weird personal secrets. So he just shakes his head and confesses the second thing that’s on his mind. 

“I don’t want Jace to get fired.” 

“I won’t let that happen, darling, trust me.” Magnus’ eyes dart over to Lydia after he speaks, and his shoulders drop from their tensed position when she fails to react to the casual pet name. She probably wouldn’t find it odd, anyways, because Magnus calls people “darling” and “honey” all the time, especially his favorite employees. 

But they’re both on edge. It’s all so new and they want to be careful. It’s like when Alec was younger and his mother would buy a new rug. She’d roll it out in the living room and it would be so pristine and fluffy and bright, and she’d be extra cautious about the kids running through with muddy shoes to make sure nothing ruined it. Just to take it in a little while longer before the world inevitably roughed it up. 

“I’m ready.” Jace announces, gliding into the room. He seems significantly more chipper than before. He takes a seat beside Alec and glances back at Simon’s empty desk, where files are piling up in his absence. “Oh, yeah, Magnus? Simon said you kept hanging up on him when he tried to call in sick.”

Alec’s head whips up reflexively, and Jace gives him a sidelong glance, his eyebrows arched. Magnus seems to not have noticed. 

“Oh.” Magnus winces. “Whoops. Okay, noted. Thank you.”

“Did he call you?” Alec asks as casually as he possibly can, which still doesn’t sound very casual. 

“Yeah.” Jace says simply. He fixes Alec with an unreadable stare, and Alec stares back while his brain tries to comprehend what this new information means. Magnus clears his throat. 

“Can you two wrap up your suspicious glaring? We need to get to work.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Jace says, his eyes still trained on Alec. Alec is the first to surrender, turning back to Magnus. 

As it turns out, coaching is pretty easy. Jace is extremely determined and consumes information rapidly, committing every fact and number to memory. Lydia actually seems to be enjoying herself, as if discussing HR tactics is a form of yoga for her. 

Jace is relaxing. Alec can see it in the way he starts making more jokes, little by little. Confidence has never been a problem for Jace. He knows he can succeed, but he compares himself to others who can succeed in different and faster ways. When he has proof of his own skill, though, he’s good to go. 

Then the phone rings. 

“Hello, Luke.” Magnus greets cheerfully. “What can I do for you?”

“Hey, just a quick update on the seminar tomorrow.” Luke says. “The Philadelphia branch cancelled. Their branch manager just resigned so they’re dealing with disaster over there. It would be sort of a waste to only host two branches, so we’re sending Chicago.”

Magnus pales startlingly fast. Alec didn’t know anyone could lose color that quickly, but Magnus does and he looks like he might puke at any second. A good amount of time passes while Alec, Jace, and Lydia watch their boss stare numbly at his phone like the world is caving in around him. 

“Magnus?” Luke prompts. “Is that alright?”

“Uh--yes. Yes, sir. That should be fine. Is that all?” 

“That’s all.” Luke sounds as perplexed by Magnus’ obvious distress as Alec. “See you soon.”

He clicks off and immediately begins to shake his head adamantly, answering a question that no one had to ask. 

“I cannot be here if the Chicago branch is here.” He declares. “I’m sorry, Jace, you’ll do great but I won’t be here to see it.”

“What?” Jace reverts right back to his state of panic. “No, no I need you. You need to be there to keep me on track, remember that whole thing you said about how if I ever need help you’ll be right by my side?”

“That was before!” Magnus insists, turning in his chair and getting up. He moves forward like he’s going to leave, but when he reaches the door he merely closes it. Alec watches Magnus sink against the door and gaze helplessly up at the ceiling. 

It’s a risk, but Alec says, “Can you guys give me a minute with just Magnus?”

Lydia doesn’t hesitate to leave, and Jace follows suit with one questioning glance in Alec’s direction. Alec closes the door behind them, and he turns to Magnus. 

A startled gasp escapes him when Magnus sinks into him. 

The blind are open, but where they stand behind the door is most likely hidden from the office’s view. Alec forces his body to relax, because Magnus can’t relax unless the person comforting him can. He even allows himself to put a hand against the back of Magnus’ head, his fingers just barely rustling the soft strands of black. 

“Who’s in Chicago?” He asks quietly. 

“Camille Belcourt.” Magnus whispers. “My ex-girlfriend. Alec, she ruined me. She was terrible to me when we were together, she nearly got me fired from this job when I left her. Every time she’s near me it’s like, everything I do has to be calculated and perfectly executed or else she’ll find some way to twist it and report it to corporate. It’s--it’s exhausting. I can’t do it, Alec. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I--”

“Shh, okay.” Alec is reeling from finally solving the mystery of the evil ex. Magnus has mentioned Camille before, in passing comments about past relationships. They were always joking mentions of her, but Alec had always seen lingering traces of hurt in Magnus’ forced smiles. “Hey, you don’t have to come in tomorrow. We’ll tell Aldertree you’re sick, or that you had a family emergency.”

“I can’t leave Jace.” Magnus says, pulling away so Alec can see his face. He looks miserable, caught between his employees and his own mental state. If they were more, if last night had happened weeks ago, Alec could kiss him.

“I’ll be here. So will Lydia.” 

“But if Simon isn’t better then there will be no one who can operate my office.” Magnus realizes, tightening his grip on Alec’s shirt. “Aldertree will just use it as another excuse as to why the branch is worthless. 

Alec is beginning to reach the same conclusion that Magnus already has. He wishes, for the millionth time he wishes, that Magnus didn’t have to put his own emotions on the line for his job. It seems like day after day Alec watches Magnus battle his own thoughts and feelings just to make it to the end of the day. 

“I’ll keep her away from you.” Alec decides, his voice certain and firm. “You’ll be here for Jace and everyone else, but I’ll make sure she never gets near you.”

“Alec, she’s evil.” Magnus protests tiredly. “She won’t be kind to you.”

“Well, I’d rather her be evil to me for the first time than evil to you for the hundredth time.” 

The kiss is very unexpected. Alec staggers back just from the shock of it, but he catches Magnus before any damage can be done. Magnus takes advantage of Alec’s jolted state and pushes him back against the wall, where they’re once again out of sight from prying eyes. Alec’s heart rate increases the longer Magnus kisses him, and even after it stops his heart still hammers away. 

“We’ll keep that one a secret, too?” Alec checks with a hoarse voice. 

“Yup.” Magnus straightens his tie and opens the door, ushering Alec out into an office of people who have no idea that Alec just kissed their boss. 

//

Alec isn’t even the one who should be stressed, and yet he’s drinking his fifth cup of coffee and biting his nails down to the skin. 

Jace isn’t doing much better. His leg bounces and hits the break room table with a painful-sounding _thump_ that Jace probably doesn’t even feel because of pure adrenaline. Outside, two of the three branches are mingling and eating off-brand powdered doughnuts. Alec is keeping a sharp eye out for Chicago, but he’s insanely grateful that they’re running late. 

Magnus is doing a great job of concealing the fact that he’s a nervous wreck. He’s greeting other branches with broad smiles and jokes at the expense of the company. Still. He’s glancing toward the main door every couple of seconds. 

It doesn’t help that Simon called in again. Alec had a short conversation with him earlier on the phone, in which Simon had sleepily reported that he’s feeling better but doesn’t want to risk getting in trouble with Aldertree in case his feverish brain scrambles numbers or makes him trip over his own two feet. 

He also asked Alec for the link to the company handbook, which Alec had thought was odd but brushed it off as something that Simon might genuinely be reading for enjoyment. 

“Alec.” Jace tugs on his sleeve. “If I get fired, you won’t let anyone else sit at my desk, will you?”

“You won’t get fired.”

“But if I do,” Jace insists desperately, “you’ll preserve my spot, right?”

“Of course.” Alec tears his gaze away from the office to momentarily look at his brother. Jace genuinely seems moments away from a breakdown. His eyes are darting around the office, probably searching for Aldertree. “Jace, it’s going to be fine. I’ll keep Camille away from Magnus, he and Lydia will help you out of rough spots, and it’ll all be over by tomorrow.”

“I’m getting drinks tonight.” Jace mutters, and Alec grins. He briefly considers asking Jace about Simon, but then destroys the idea before it can reach his lips. Jace doesn’t need even more stress. “Oh, fuck. Alec.”

Alec turns to look at the office, and there she is. Camille is dressed in a red suit, her long obsidian hair falling freely to her waist. She’s beautiful.

And she has her hand on Magnus’ arm.

Alec doesn’t think. He gets up and heads out of the break room, barrelling through people until he reaches his target. Camille doesn’t even look at him as he approaches, and he comes to a stop right beside Magnus with no idea what to say. 

“I was very excited when I heard we would be visiting the Brooklyn branch.” Camille is saying to Magnus in a velvety purr. Alec spares a quick glance at Magnus and sees the paleness to his skin, the slight quake to his shoulders. “Maybe later you and I could have a conference.”

“Mr. Bane?” Alec cuts off any further taunting and Camille looks at him as if just noticing his presence. “Jace needs you. Don’t worry, Ms. Belcourt, I can answer any of your questions.”

“No thank you.” She speaks to him dismissively, like she’s waving off a perfume salesman at the mall. Alec doesn’t let this deter him, however, and he readily replaces Magnus’ spot in front of her to block her path. 

“I was actually hoping to talk to you.” He tells her, trying not to feel intimidated by her thousand degree glare. “I uh, I was thinking of transferring to Chicago.”

Where did that come from? Alec immediately regrets using such a monumentally complicated excuse to speak to her, but there’s no going back. It seems to have at least caught her attention, seeing as she shifts her gaze from over his shoulder to directly into his eyes.

“HR?” She asks, and when he nods she rolls her eyes. “We don’t need you.”

He steps in front of her as she tries to side-step him. “But I could do sales?”

“Why exactly are you so desperate to transfer from a bigger city with better food down to Chicago?” She demands, searching his face with her shining eyes. “Is Magnus that bad of a boss?” 

“What?” Alec is almost disgusted by the suggestion. “No! He’s a fantastic boss, he’s a fantastic--uh, no, see I just wanted some options. That’s all.”

She keeps her eyes locked on him for a good five seconds before speaking. “Well then if you’re done wasting my time on hypotheticals--”

“Attention, employees.” Aldertree’s voice is, for once, a godsend. Camille surrenders her fight to get to the break room and turns to face Aldertree at the front. “The seminar will begin shortly, please find seats in the breakroom. And remember to write down any constructive criticism on your feedback cards so we can really fine-tune this program.”

A more creative way of criticizing Jace. Alec would give up his vacation days for a chance to punch Aldertree in the throat.

Alec gets in one last reassuring shoulder squeeze before Jace takes his position at the front. Alec hurriedly fills in the seat beside Magnus and directs Clary to his other side before Camille can even think about sitting next to him. 

“Was she awful to you?” Magnus whispers anxiously. 

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He whispers back. “Just focus on Jace, okay?”

As it turns out, though, Jace doesn’t really need Magnus or Lydia much. He speaks with ease and charm, he fluidly transitions from one point to the next, he even sprinkles in jokes that make the audience chuckle and exchange amused glances. 

“Well this is surprisingly painless.” Magnus mutters after a good hour and a half of Jace explaining sales pitches and customer relations. He’s taking questions before they take a brief interlude, and Alec has to agree with Magnus. Everything is fine. 

“Okay, everyone, there are subs in the break room, courtesy of the Brooklyn branch. Help yourselves and we’ll rejoin in about twenty minutes.” Jace finishes, and he waits patiently at the front of the room while everyone files out before hurrying to the back and slumping against Alec limply.

“You’re doing great!” Alec assures him, confused as to why Jace has his forehead pressed into Alec’s shoulder as if he’s just endured something awful. 

“More than great.” Magnus chimes in. “You’re killing it, Jace. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m glad someone is.” Jace sighs, reluctantly lifting his head again. “Aldertree was shaking his head the entire time. Making faces. He hates it, I’m going to be fired for sure.”

Alec is appalled. He thought Aldertree would at least have the common decency to be professional and sit through the seminar without being a bully, but apparently it’s too difficult for him. 

“Speak of the devil.” Jace mutters, averting his gaze from the door just as Aldertree steps back into the conference room. He heads over with a calm smile, as if he isn’t about to tear into Jace for no reason. 

“I’m hearing the feedback from my employees out there,” Aldertree begins without a greeting, “and I’ve got to say, Wayland, you’re just not getting through to them.”

“What exactly is the problem, sir?” Magnus asks. “I personally thought Jace was very informative and effective in his methods. I know that many of my employees felt the same.”

“You mean Jace’s friends thought he did well?” Aldertree says in the most condescending tone Alec has ever heard. “That’s very nice, but I’m afraid Mr. Wayland’s presentation and knowledge in general is...lacking. Perhaps we should just go ahead and dismiss the other branches, seeing as they have a lot of work to--”

“You’re not even letting him finish?” Alec demands, not caring how it sounds. He doesn’t care that his voice is soaked in anger and outrage because that’s how he feels. He doesn’t care that Aldertree is looking at him like he’s insane because, honestly, he feels seconds away from actually going insane. 

He’s tired of not acting on his feelings. He’s tired of kissing in secret and wondering what’s going on with his brother in secret and hating his boss in secret. Not everything has to stay a secret. 

“Listen, sir--” 

Before Alec can even begin his impulsive hate-rant, Camille saunters through the conference room door. Magnus fluidly lifts his phone from his pocket and scans the screen with empty eyes. 

“I have to take this call.” He declares. “Excuse me.”

“A major decision is about to be made regarding the state of this branch, and the manager tries to run off.” Aldertree scoffs, stopping Magnus dead in his tracks. “Honestly, I often wonder how this is my most successful branch? The branch manager, who runs off every few minutes, chooses an incompetent HR representative to run an important seminar, which was suggested by another hot headed HR rep. The printer doesn’t work so there are no hand-outs to be given to the audience, who I suppose is expected to memorize everything, and there seems to be no assistant to be found that can keep anything organized--”

“I’m right here, sir.” A defiant, slightly raspy voice interrupts.

Simon is standing in the doorway with his tablet in his hand. He’s wearing casual clothes and his hair is a mess, as if he ran out the door without brushing it, and overall he still looks sick. But there’s a glow in his eyes that makes him look much more alive than the last time Alec saw him. 

“Ah, arriving for work almost four hours late.” Aldertree dismisses, turning back to Jace. “You’ve come in time to see your HR representative lose his job.”

“I heard about that, sir.” Simon says as he joins their circle, planting himself firmly in front of Aldertree and looking him dead in the eyes. “Except in the company handbook, section ten, it states that any termination of a branch employee must either be done by their branch manager or the senior general manager. And I’m sorry, sir, but isn’t Luke Garroway the senior general manager?”

Aldertree is silent for all of ten seconds, during which Alec catches Jace looking at Simon as if he’s the sun. 

“Are you insinuating that I do not have the authority to dismiss my own employees?” Aldertree demands, and Simon merely shrugs. 

“You can check the handbook if you’d like.” He offers the tablet to Aldertree. “But it’s pretty wordy and kinda boring. I gave you the short and sweet version.”

“Sir, if I may.” Camille chooses this time to insert herself into the conversation, fixing Aldertree with a cold smile. “It’s safe to say that I was...less than satisfied with my branch spending a work day on this seminar. I could call Luke Garroway and let him know as much.”

Alec’s heart is close to stopping, but he sees Simon flick a finger over his tablet quickly.

“That would have more weight, ma’am, if your branch hadn’t dropped in sales almost thirty percent since you became the primary branch manager.” He says this almost cheerfully, and now Jace is smiling openly with his eyes still locked onto Simon. “I, of course, could also call Luke Garroway and let him know that his fellow general manager masterminded an unethical ultimatum to terminate an employee that has doubled his positive customer reviews in the last quarter.”

“And why would Luke Garroway take advice from an assistant?” Camille all but hisses. 

“Well he is my surrogate father, so.” Simon shrugs. “I think he might value my opinion.”

It’s the finishing blow. It’s like watching an eagle strike down a snake or something, like watching the Discovery channel and feeling a sense of awe at the absolute annihilation of something that seemed so strong and powerful just minutes ago. 

Aldertree merely gives Magnus a final, withering glare before turning on his heel and leaving. Camile turns to leave, and Alec steps forward before she can. 

“By the way,” he tells her politely, “I don’t want to transfer to Chicago.”

She leaves in a whirlwind of red and black, taking her branch with her as the others get the hint and file out. Alec turns back to see Jace hugging Simon, which Magnus watches with proud amusement. 

“That was badass.” Jace beams at Simon when he pulls away. “For an assistant, anyways.”

“Simon Lewis, always two steps ahead.” Simon smirks, covering a cough with his fist. Alec watches Jace’s hands slip slowly away from Simon’s shoulders, lingering just long enough for Alec to wonder why they haven’t moved away yet. 

“Are you okay?” Simon asks Magnus, looking at his boss with concern. “I didn’t know fucking _Camille_ was coming.”

“I’m okay.” He promises, looking at Alec with a relieved smile. “I had a bodyguard.”

Alec spends a good half-hour listening to his friends complain about Aldertree, joining in occasionally when he thinks of a good enough roast. Alec considers himself fairly good at roasting, but listening to Magnus and Jace is enough to make his cheeks hurt and his ribs feel near breaking.

Clary and Maia join their group, comfortable enough now that Aldertree is gone to ask for the scoop. Magnus fills them in on the whole terrible incident, starting from the ultimatum and ending with another two minute speech on why Aldertree deserves to get fired or demoted to a janitor. 

“God, I didn’t even know that it was Alec’s idea to do the seminar.” Maia says in awe. “For what it’s worth, Jace, I think you did great.”

“Yeah and I mean, Magnus I thought something was wrong when you left early the other day.” Clary chimes in, and Alec feels his entire body tense automatically. “But then I found out that you left to take Simon home, so I just kinda dismissed it.”

“He didn’t take Simon home.” Jace says before Alec can change the topic. “He left with--”

“No, he did.” Simon nods his head. “He took me home. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d make some stupid joke about me needing a chauffeur because I can’t drive.”

This makes Jace’s puzzled expression wipe away almost immediately, a mocking grin taking its place. “Just admit you cheated on the driver’s test and I’ll stop bringing it up!”

“You can’t cheat on those.” Maia objects, laughing. Alec locks eyes with Simon, who just gives him a small smile. Simon Lewis, he thinks, always two steps ahead.

//

“I want to give you a more official thank you.” Magnus says, closing his office door behind him. Alec watches with a rising heart rate as Magnus casually reaches for the string to tug the blinds down, keeping them concealed from the office. “For taking several emotional bullets to keep Camille away from me.”

“She wasn’t that bad.” Alec promises, wrapping his arms around Magnus and pulling him closer. “Rude, unpleasant, and slightly terrifying. But, really. It was okay.”

“Look, Alec, I don’t want you to think that I’m like that with all of my exes. Camille is different, she left me so shaken up that I didn’t date for...almost two years. But if we ever break up, I won’t avoid you or run from you. Promise.”

“So, uh, does that--does that mean we’re dating?” Alec asks, watching a serene smile spread across Magnus’ face. 

“I would like to.”

“So would I.” Alec declares softly, leaning in. They kiss for a few seconds before a thought enters and he jolts away. “What if Simon comes in?”

“I told him the printer isn’t working,” Magnus says breathlessly, pulling Alec back in, “he’ll be busy for awhile.”

“He covered for us, you know, he probably thinks--”

“Alec?” Magnus impatiently tugs on his tie again. “I don’t care right now what anyone else is thinking. I’ve waited all day to kiss you, and I’m going to do that. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

//

Simon is, sure enough, working on the printer almost a half hour later. Alec approaches and kneels down beside him, peering into the little drawer that Simon has open. 

He’s still sick, obviously, so Alec needs to think of a way to get him back home. He’s not sure how much longer they can last without Simon running things, and he seems close to returning. The last thing they need is him getting even sicker.

“Tell me who broke my printer so I can kill them.” Simon says finally, the first indication that he’s even noticed Alec. 

“Like you nearly killed Aldertree and Camille?” Alec asks, eliciting a small laugh from Simon. “That was something. Thank you, for doing that for Jace.”

“If he got fired I wouldn’t be able to steal anyone’s food.” Simon says easily. Alec thinks that maybe now isn’t the best time to go looking for answers, but is there ever really a good time? He can carefully maneuver, see what he can find out, then send Simon on his way. 

He’s formulating a subtle question, but his mouth decides to take over. 

“The Walking Dead isn’t on Hulu.” He says, then closes his eyes and mentally slaps his wrists. Simon is looking at him as if he’s gone insane. “I mean, uh, Jace. Jace told us that you were still sick yesterday. And when we asked how he knew, he said you wanted his Hulu password to watch The Walking Dead. And The Walking Dead isn’t on Hulu.”

Simon’s cheeks immediately go rosy. “You think he’d be able to come up with something better than that.”

“You, uh, you don’t have to tell me.” Alec decides, realizing then that he’s made Simon uncomfortable with his prying. It’s not his business, anyways, and he’s not entitled to know anything about Jace’s personal life--

“He came over the other night.” Simon confesses softly. “When I was sent home. He made me soup and taught me how to relax. I sorta, uh, fell asleep on him? But that’s it, I swear that’s it.”

Alec watches a small smile bloom on Simon’s face, which he tries to hide by looking deeper into the printer’s open door. Alec grins a little and elbows him gently. 

“Do you like him?”

“Do you like Magnus?” Simon asks instead of answering, which makes Alec audibly sputter. Simon laughs, leaning back on his heels so Alec can once again make eye contact. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. He’s liked you for a long time, though. And I think you make him really happy. He facetimed me last night, and he kept talking about you. About how you were helping him with something really big, which I guess was Camille?”

“Yeah.” It’s Alec’s turn to blush and avert his eyes. “I like him, too.”

“I like Jace.” Simon admits. He coughs into the crook of his arm and nearly loses the balance he has on his heels, but Alec catches him by the shoulder and keeps him upright. He helps Simon stand and keeps him steady, like he would with Jace or Isabelle when they were drunk or sick. 

“Let’s get your coat.” He says. “Do you need me to drive you home?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Simon waves him off. “I’m not even running a fever anymore so I should be okay.”

“I meant because you cheated on your driver’s test.” Alec corrects, laughing when Simon shoves him. He glances into Magnus’ office and sees him watching, a fond smile playing at his lips. Alec waves on his way out. 

Things are complicated, Alec thinks, but things are good.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this took me a long time!! Sorry about that yall but if you have anything you'd like to see in further installments, lmk on tumblr @simonlewhiss !! Thanks for sticking with the series!!


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